Sponsors (8)
The bill increases state influence and can speed decisions when state data are strong, but it risks weaker species protections and greater legal and regulatory uncertainty if state-provided data are inconsistent or lower quality.
State governments' monitoring data will be more likely to be considered in federal listing and delisting decisions, increasing state influence over species outcomes.
Where states provide robust data, federal decisions (including conservation actions or regulatory relief) could be made faster, speeding protections or reducing regulatory delays for landowners.
Endangered and threatened species could face weaker protections if some states supply lower-quality or biased data that downplays threats.
Federal scientific standards and consistency may be undermined, creating legal disputes, delaying protections, and reducing regulatory certainty for landowners, developers, and agencies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Interior Secretary to accept and incorporate State-collected data when making endangered or threatened species listing and delisting decisions under the ESA.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to accept and integrate data collected by State agencies when making decisions to list or delist species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The change directs the federal decisionmaker to consider State-provided information alongside other evidence used in listing determinations.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by Cynthia M. Lummis · Last progress March 19, 2026